It's about to get more expensive for British passengers to fly long-haul in anything above economy

British passengers flying long-haul in anything above economy will have to spend more on air passenger duty (APD) following measures set out in the budget.

Chancellor Philip Hammond also announced plans to freeze APD for economy passengers, meaning no price hikes for years.

The move is an effort to "keep costs down for the vast majority of passengers."

It's about to get more expensive for British passengers to fly long-haul in premium economy, business, and first class.

The budget, delivered by Chancellor Philip Hammond on Wednesday, raised air passenger duty (APD) for customers on long-haul flights in anything above economy from 2019. Private jet rides will also get more costly.

But there was good news for the majority of passengers. The government will continue to freeze APD on short-haul economy flights, while the cost of long-haul economy flights will also be frozen at levels introduced in April next year.

Here are APD rates for next year:

Government

And the rates for April 2019:

Government

Premium economy, business, and first class tickets will go up by £16, while private jet flights will increase by £47.

"This measure will impact on some individuals, households, and families who travel by air," the government said. "Freezing the short-haul and reduced long-haul APD rates for the tax year 2019 to 2020 will keep costs down for the vast majority of passengers. However, increasing the standard and higher long-haul rates will mean some passengers will pay more for their flights."

APD was introduced in 1994 as a tax to pay for the environmental costs of air travel, according to Skyscanner. The idea is that it makes passengers "think twice before flying" — and it delivers billions in revenue.